The Beijing Olympic Games started on Friday 8 August 2008 with a dramatic opening ceremony featuring a cast of thousands performers that celebrated the arts and achievements of China's long history....

Figure 3: Model of a "chebec", an Arab ship famous for its speed and maneuverability. The chebec proved so useful as a fast raider, despatch boat or even merchant ship that versions of it were adopted in other countries. (Source).

Figure 4: Front cover of European and Islamic Trade in the Early Ottoman State: The Merchants of Genoa and Turkey by Kate Fleet (Cambridge University Press, 1999).

Figure 5: View of Najjarin Funduq in Fez, Morocco. Like the Caravanserais, the Funduq is a North African term for a small, urban shop complex. A typical funduq is a square two-storey structure built around a central courtyard with shops on one floor and store rooms on the other. (Source).

Figure 6: Covered Bazaar in Istanbul. View from the Beyazit Gate, leading into the Kalpakçilar Street at its western end. Above the entrance is the royal monogram (tugra) of Abdülhamid II (1876-1909), marking the construction of the gate during the 1892-94 restoration. A short Arabic phrase included in the monogram medallion says: "God loves the one who does trade". (Source).

Figure 7: Front cover of Trade and Civilisation in the Indian Ocean: An Economic History from the Rise of Islam to 1750 by K. N. Chaudhuri (Cambridge University Press, 1985).